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'Fascination of plants day' comes to Dundee

The amazing range and diversity of plant-life on our planet will be explored at the University of Dundee Botanic Garden this weekend as part of the international Fascination of Plants Day.

The Botanic Garden will have a fun-filled day of activities this Saturday, 18th May, including the hugely popular Botanic Garden Trail, an opportunity to help plant the new Genetics Garden, DNA extraction from plants and for the artistically inclined some Plant Hammering (yes, it's as much fun as it sounds!).

Researchers from the University of Dundee and the James Hutton Institute will be there throughout the day to answer all questions about the fascinating world of plants.

Professor Robbie Waugh of the Division of Plant Sciences - a joint research unit between the College of Life Sciences at the University of Dundee and the James Hutton Institute - is the driving force behind bringing this international event to Dundee.

Professor Waugh said, "Fascination of Plants Day is a great opportunity to share, with the general public, the scale and depth of the excellent research being carried out in the field of plant sciences right here in Dundee. This event is truly cross-institutional - with the James Hutton Institute and the University of Dundee's College of Life Sciences and Botanic Garden working to bring together kids, families, researchers, teachers and artists to understand and celebrate the fascinating plant life on our planet.

"We are also delighted to be participating in this international event, placing Dundee on the map of plant sciences research and public outreach activity. We hope to make this an annual event as part of the worldwide programme which, since its inception last year, has grown to include 54 countries across 6 continents, and more than 60 participating organisations in the UK."

Events will be taking place throughout the day on Saturday from 10am to 4pm and admission is free.

The International Fascination of Plants Day is co-ordinated in the UK by the UK Plant Sciences Federation (UKPSF), a Special Interest Group of the Society of Biology. The main focus of Fascination of Plants Day is to celebrate the importance of plants in our lives and landscapes.

Dr Mimi Tanimoto, Executive Officer of the UKPSF says, "Plants are fundamental to our existence, providing us with food, fuel, medicines, plastics, fibres, paper and building materials. We hope that Fascination of Plants Day will inspire people to appreciate the world of diverse plant life and its importance in sustaining a healthy population."